NASA's Orion Moon Craft Unveiled at New Spaceflight Facility!! (Cool)

Originally posted by dc2009
How will we get it into space since our funding was cut for that, can Russia take that thing up?

Well NASA is planning on building a HLV based on Shuttle hardware (similar to the Ares V and DIRECT designs), so I think the current plan is to use that. It might even be designed to use a variety of different launch vehicles rather than be limited to just one type or rocket.

Boeing, with its CST-100 is planning to be able to use an Atlas V, Delta IV or a Falcon 9 with there space capsule.

Originally posted by butcherguy
Now for my question. What do they use to land on the moon?

Don't tell me they are just going up to orbit. We did that in 1968, didn't we?

Right now there are no plans to return to the Moon, unfortunately. But they did come up with some designs for a new Lunar Lander called Altair for the now canceled Constellation program.

Originally posted by dantanna
but seriously, i LOVE space ships, and even tho its green, this thing is way cool! i do not think we should be spending money on crap like this during a depression, but its cool!

But that money goes into peoples wages and helps to keep people employed, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Originally posted by bigshow
So... 50 years since the Apollo Missions.. and this is the best they can come up with? All the technology we have developed in that time frame and we are still stuck with a capsule like the Apollo missions. I believe this is a giant "FAIL" and waste of money.

As previously explained, the capsule is currently the most efficient design for interplanetary travel. Lockheed, who are the ones designing and building the Orion, are not the only ones making a new capsule. There's Boeing's CST-100 which I mentioned earlier as well as Space X's Dragon capsule.

reply to post by jra


jra.... excellent, as always.

Thanks for posting.

Kinda Kurious!!! LOL I don't know how I missed your post yesterday.

Yes, seems to be an issue there. Maybe two?!

I sure hope they don't show these films to the astronauts.

thanks

Originally posted by bigshow
So... 50 years since the Apollo Missions.. and this is the best they can come up with? All the technology we have developed in that time frame and we are still stuck with a capsule like the Apollo missions. I believe this is a giant "FAIL" and waste of money.

You were expecting something with wings right ? Something that flys and looks like a spaceship, in stead they use apolo tec to fly man in space into a flying coffin....hahhaha this is technology. It is a regresion from the space shuttle.

Originally posted by anon72
I sure hope they don't show these films to the astronauts.

ROFLMAO. Intial reports from NASA indicate test pilots reported no discomfort:
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